Railway-traffic-controlling apparatus



Jan. 24, 1928.

W. P. ALLEN RAILWAY TRAFFIC CONTROLLING APPARATUS KHL'FI N m s.

Filed A112. 4. 1926 Amplz,

Patented Jan 24, 1928,

UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

Y 'WALTER P. ALLEN, 0F JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE UNIONSWITCH & SIGNAL GOMI'ANY, OF SWISSVALE, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OFPENN- SYLVANIA.

RAILWAY-TEAFFICCONTROLLING APPARATUS.

Application filed. August 4, 1926. serial No. 126,997.

My invention relates to railway trailic controlling apparatus," andparticularly to apparatus of the type comprising governing mechanism ona car controlled byucurrent supplied to the track rails.

I will describe one form of apparatus c1nbodying my invention, and willthen point out the novel features thereof in claims.

The accompanying drawing is a diagrammatic view showing one form ofapparatus embodying my invention.

Referring to the drawing, the reference characters 1 and 1*-,'designatethe track rails of a railway along which trathc normally moves in thedirection indicated by the arrow. These rails are divided by insulatedjoints 2 into a plurality of track sections G D, D-dd), etc. Located atthe entrance end oi each section is a signal designated by the referencecharacter S, with an exponent corresponding to the location, eachofwhich signals is capable ofindicatin'g proceed, caution or stop. Thesesignals may be controlled in any suitable manner, andsince the apparatusfor controlling them has nothing to do with my present invention,such'appa ratus is omitted from the drawing inorder to simplify thedisclosure.

Each section is provided with means "for supplying the rails oi thesection with alternating current of one characteristic 'or anotheraccording to traificconditions in ad- Vance oi the section. As hereSl1OW11,Cl1I- rent of one frequency is supplied to the rails under onetratllc condition, and current of a different frequency is supplied tothe rails under a different trafic condition. In order to supply thesecurrents, each section. is provided with a transformer located adjacentthe exit end of the section and designated by the reference character Twith an exponent corresponding to the location; A secondary 6 of each ofthese transformers is connected across the rails of the section througha reactance d and a resistance 5. The primary 7 of each 'transi'ornierTis connected with a transmission line L when the signal S for the nextsection indicates proceed or caution, and with a transmission line Lwhen the signal for the neirt section in aclvance"in dicates stop. Theconnection of primary 7 to one or the other of the transmission lines isaccomplished by circuit controllers 8 and 9 operatively co-nnectedwiththe signal for the section next in advance. The t-ransmis S1011 line Lis constantly supplied with 8.1 terns-ting current ofa relatively lowfroquency by a generator M, and the transmission l ne L is constantlysupplied with alternating current of a relatively high fre quency by agenerator M Interposed between the secondary 6 of each transformer T andone of the track rails, is a battery 3. These batteries maybe used toenergize the usual track relays which are employed to control thesignals S, but which are not shown in the drawing because they form nopart of my invention.

The reference character V designates a car traveling on the track rails1 and 1. Located in advance of the forward axle of this car are twoinagnetizable cores l0 and 10, mounted above the track rails 1 and 1, respectively, and carrying coils l1 and 11, respectively, so that thesecoils are in inductive relationwith the two track rails. The coils 11and 11' areincluded in receiving circuit H which may also includeacondenser 12 or a condenser 18. Thesecondensers are of differentcapacities, and are so chosen that when the condenser 12 is included inthe receiving circuit this circuit is substantially tuned to resonanceat the frequency of the current supplied by generator M, whereas whenthe condenser 13 is included in the circuit, the circuit issubstantially tuned to resonance at the frequency of the currentsupplied by generator One condenser 01' the other is included in thereceiving circuit according as contact 19 is in one position. or theother, and this contact is connected with a manually operable member F.An amplifier 14 is connected across condenser 12 or condenser 13,accordingto which one of these condensers is included in the receivingcircuit, and this ampliiier supplies alternating current to a rectifier15, which in turn furnishes uni-directionalcurrent to a relay 16. Theparts are so adjusted that when the receiving circuit His tunedsubstantially to resonance at the frequency of the particular currentwhich happens to be flowing in the track rails, the

relay 16will be energized to close its front energized.

The relay 16 may control train governing mechanism of any suitablecharacter. As here shown, this mechanism comprises a brake applicationvalve lV, which is c'tlective when de'energizcd to apply the brakesautoinatically. The valve W provided with a circuit which passes fromterminal B of a suitable source of current through tlront contact 18 ofrelay 16 and valve il to terminal O of the same source of current.

The car is also provided with a cab sig, nal J, comprising; threeelectric lamps G, Y and H, arranged to indicate proceed, caution andstop, respectively. These lamps are controlled by contact 1'? of relayin, and also by a circuit controller 20 operatively connected with themanually operable menu ber F. -Vl hen relay 16 is energized and member Fis in its normal position, the pro cecd lamp G will be ligthcd by virtueOf a circuit which is obvious from the drawing. hen relay 16 isenergized and member i is reversed, the caution lamp Y will be lighted.When relay 16 tie-energized, the stop lamp R will be lighted, regardlessoil" the posit-ion oi contact 20.

As shown in the drawing, the section llll mediately to the right ofpoint E is occupied by a car V, so that signal S indicates stop, and,consequently, current of high frequency supplied to the rails of sectionD- -E. Signal S indicates caution, so that curent of low frequency issupplied to the rails of section C-D. Signal S indicates proceed, sothat current of low frequency is supplied to the rails 01 the sectiontothe left of point C. The car V thore'torc receiving current of lowfrequency, and with the member F in the normal position, in which it isshown in the drawing, condenser 12 is included. in the receiving circuitH, so that this circuit is tuned to resonance atthe low frequency. Relay16 is therefore energized, so that the proceed lamp G is lighted and thebralze application valve W is energized. As the car passes throughsection CD, no change occurs in the car-carried apparatus, because therails of this section are supplied with current of low frequency. As thecar enters section-DE, however, it will receive current of highfrequency from the rails o'lf this section, and, consequently, relay 16will open unless the engineman reverses the manually operable member F,thereby including condenser 18 in the receiving circuit H. It theengineman fails to reverse the member F, the opening of relay 16 willale-energize the brake application valve W and so will cause anautomatic application of the braltes, and the opening of relay 16 willalso cause the stop lamp R to become lighted. On the other hand, it theengineman reverses the member 1 relay 10 will remain energized, so thatbraltc application valve "W will continue to be energised,

but the caution lamp Y will become li hted. hen the car V enters theoccupier section to the right of point E, the supply 01': energy fromthe track rails will cease, and, consequently, the car will be broughtto a stop unless means are provided to permit the car to proceed at asafe low speed when relay 16 is opened. Such means are well known in thetrain control art and need not be illustrated, becatu e they term nopart of. my invention. "hen the car again enters a section supplied withcurrent of low frequency, the engineinan will restore member 1 to itsnormal position, whereupon relay 16 will be energized because thereceivingcircuit H will. then be tuned to resonance at the frequency ofsuch current.

It will be seen from the foregoing that upon passing a wayside signalindicating; caution, the engineznan must reverse the manually o ierablcmember F in. order to "*d an auton'iatic :qiplicatiou oi? the brakes.action indicates that the cnginciuan is all i re and alert.

Although I have herein shown and described only one form of apparatusembodying my invention, it is understood that various changes andmodifications may he made therein within the scope of the a pendedclaims without departing from tile spirit and scope oi. my invention.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

1. In combination with the rails of a railway track and a car travellingthereon, means for supplying said rails with-alternating current of onefrequency or another according to trallic conditions in advance, a.circuit on the car receiving energy from the track rails and includingmanually operable 111911118 for tuning the circuit to substantialresonance at the frequency oi either of said currents, and governingmechanism on the car ell'ective to retard the car if said circuit is nottuned to substantial resonance at the frequency oi the current in therails at the point occupied by the car.

2. In combination, a stretch of railwa track divided into sections and acar have ling thereon, means l'or each section for supplying the railswith alternating current of one frequency or another according as thesection next in a dvancc is occupied or mice cnpied, a circuit on thecar receiving energ T from the track rails and including manualyoperable means for tuning the circuit to substantial resonance at the:lrequency of either of said currents, and governing mechanism on thecar eilective to retard the car it said circuit is not tuned tosubstantial resonance at the frequency of the current in the rails ofthe section occupied by the car.

3. In combination with the rails of a rail- Way track and a cartravelling thereon,

means for supplying said rails with alternating current of one frequencyor another according to traflic conditions in advance, a coil mounted onthe car in inductive relation to a track rail, a circuit for said coilprovided with two condensers of different capacities adaptedrespectively to tune the circuit to substantial resonance at thefrequency of one or the other of said currents, manually operable meansfor including one or the other of said condensers in said circuit, andgoverningmechanism on the car controlled by the voltage across whicheverof said condensers is included in said circuit and effective to retardthe car if said circuit is not tuned to substantial resonance at thefrequency of the current in the rails at the point occupied by thecar.

4:. In combination With the rails of a rail- Way track and a cartravelling thereon, means for supplying said rails With current of onecharacteristic or another according to traflicconditions inadvance,govsaid track rail currents, and manually operable means on the car forcausing said mechanism to be eifectively responsive to current of onecharacteristic or the other according as said manually operable means isin one position or another.

5. In combination With the rails of a raileiiectively responsive tocurrent of one char acteristic or the other according as said manuallyoperable means is in one position or another, and governing mechanism onthe car controlled by said circuit and operating to retard the carunless the circuit is effectively responsive to the current in the railsat the point occupied by the car.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

WALTER P. ALLEN.

